Once Upon a Prom
by Jasmine St. James
Summary: A modern, high school retelling of five well-known fairy tales- Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Princess and the Frog, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty- that culminates at the grandest ball in the Disney High kingdom: Prom.
1. Chapter 1

**INTRODUCTION:**

My name is Anders Grimm. My best (and only) friend, Jane Porter, calls me Andie. Even if you attend the same high school as me, Disney High, you don't know me. There is nothing about me that attracts attention; I'm average in every way. I have dull, lifeless blonde hair, hazel eyes and a generic face. I'm not thin, nor fat- I'm somewhere in between with a flat chest. I'm the invisible girl roaming the halls during passing period unnoticed. When I say I'm Mia Thermopolis invisible, that's not an exaggeration; people have actually sat on me. Teachers whom I've had all year don't even know I'm in their class. Even my grades are average.

But, being invisible has its perks. For one, I don't get bullied. Every school has its popular clique and the three mean girls who make everyone's lives miserable. At Disney High we have Vanessa and Odette Tremaine. They're twins with the same perfect, angular features, purple eyes, wavy hair and thin yet busty bodies. The only real difference between the two girls is that Odette has subtle, spray-tanned skin and blonde hair in contrast to Vanessa's pale skin and brown hair. Still, both girls are- of course- beautiful. On the outside. On the inside, they resemble that grotesque witch with bad skin and warts you read about in fairy tales. But, they can get away with it. Their mother owns the largest luxury hotel chain in the country, Tremaine Hotels. Yup, Disney high has our very own hotel heiresses. And, like the other hotel heiress we all know, they're not very bright. So, despite their real world status and wealth they are still only the sidekicks to one Tiana Orleans.

Tiana is the epitome of perfection; flawless, smooth, tan skin. Black hair that is never out of place. Full lips comparable only to Angelina Jolie. A curvy, killer body. But, unlike most high school Queen Bees, Tiana is also incredibly smart and hard-working; she didn't become class president and valedictorian based on her looks. Tiana was almost the complete package, except one thing: she was also a complete snob. She looked down on everyone. It didn't matter, though, because everyone still admired her. She was Disney High's very own Princess.

Another perk to being invisible is that you overhear gossip and stories in the halls and locker room when people think they're alone. As you know, fellow Disney High students, prom was this weekend and it was at prom where five girls with five different stories intersected. And it's those stories I'm going to tell you now. But, first, we have to go back a couple weeks…

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_Note: I know Anastasia and Drizella, are actually Cinderella's step-sisters, but for the storyline I have planned for Cinderella, I needed her step-sisters to be beautiful and popular._


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I completely for all about this story.**

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"Housekeeping!"

Cinderella rapped on the door, while stifling a yawn. It was seven-thirty in the morning and her stepmom had her making the rounds to all of the guests who were due to check out that morning. Her stepmom, Lady Tremaine, owned the largest chain of luxury hotels in the country- Tremaine Hotels. Check out was eight o'clock sharp, except for those who paid an extra fee to check out late. Most people did; but the man staying in this room did not.

His name was Mr. Sykes. He was a business man who had stayed here a couple times before. An early riser (if he slept at all) who had his Bluetooth permanently glued to his ear. Cinderella didn't know what kind of business he was into, but he was an intimidating man. The kind you only have to meet once and you never forget him. He's a big guy; a combination of muscle and fat from too many takeout meals on the road. He's from New York, which is obvious from his accent.

Cinderella could hear him talking on the phone on the other side of the door as he moved around his room. She twirled her master key card in her hand until she heard a break in the conversation and then she knocked again. "Housekeeping."

Mr. Sykes shuffled towards the door, unhooked the chain and swung it open. Cinderella did her best not to gulp as she looked up at the man towering over her. He was in sixties with gray hair, but balding on top. He wore a nice, pressed suit and was flipping a Zippo light open and closed as he stared her down. A heavy smell of cigar wafted through the room that made it obvious that he had been smoking, despite the hotel's no smoking rule.

"G-Good morning, Mr. Sykes," Cinderella greeted brightly.

"I'll call you back," he said into his earpiece before reaching up and hitting the button to end the call. He bent over and picked up a large leather duffel bag and briefcase that had been sitting on the floor beside the door. "The room's all yours."

Cinderella stepped out of his way as he walked out into the hallway. "I hope enjoyed your stay at the Tremaine Hotel."

He glanced down at her over his large nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. "You're the step daughter, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Sykes nodded. "Lady Tremaine said you're the one to talk to about a burn hole in the sheets. I didn't sleep at all last night due to work, but that is just unacceptable. I filed a complaint to your stepmother and I expect better service the next time I stay here."

Cinderella nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm so sorry."

He turned away and walked down the hall without another word. Cinderella rolled her cart into the room, closing the door behind her. She had a sneaking suspicion he was the one who burned a hold in the sheet. She yanked the comforter off the bed, revealing the discriminating mark. Right in front of one of the pillows was a perfect circular hole with black edges and a faint brown ring around it. She was willing to bet if she were to compare that hole with one of his cigars it would be a perfect fit.

Cinderella sighed and yanked the sheet off the bed. She crumpled it into a large ball before discarding it on the floor and replacing it with a new sheet. The rest of the room, with the exception of the takeout containers in the garbage, looked as if no one had been in the room. It didn't take long for her to clean up the room. With any luck, Cinderella would actually leave the hotel early and get to school on time.

When she was done with Mr. Sykes' room, she put away her cart and supplies and made her way to the basement where her room was. She took a quick shower, then got dressed and hurried up to the lobby. A few guests were in line at the desk to check out, but other than that the lobby was still. Cinderella didn't see her step mom anywhere and started towards the main doors; hoping to escape without being saddled with another job to get done that would make her late for school- again.

"Hey, servant girl!"

Cinderella stopped dead in her tracks. The door was only a few feet away; she contemplated making a run for it, but knew it would be better not to. She groaned and turned around. Her step sisters, Vanessa and Odette, sat on the leather sofa in the lobby. Their queen bee, Tiana, and Odette's boyfriend, Derek, sat in the armchairs on either side of the sofa. Odette wiggled her manicured index finger at Cinderella, summoning her over to them.

Cinderella gripped the strap of her worn out backpack as she begrudgingly walked over to them. "What can I do for you?" she seethed.

"You know mother doesn't want the servants using the main guest entrance," Odette stated. "You need to use the servants' entrance in the back."

Cinderella narrowed her eyes at her. "This is the quickest route to the bus stop. If I use the back entrance, I'll miss the bus."

"That's not our problem." Vanessa took a drink from her Starbucks cup. "Our mom has these rules for a reason, servant girl."

"If I'm late to school again, I'm gonna get detention," Cinderella told them.

Odette gave her a fake pout. "That's too bad. Maybe if you got your chores done on time in the morning, you wouldn't be late every day."

Tiana stood up. "Come on, guys; she's not worth our time."

Odette and Derek followed after Tiana. But, Vanessa hung back for a moment.

"I don't even know why you bother with school," Vanessa said to Cinderella. "You're not smart enough to get into college. You'll always just be a servant girl." She removed the lid of her cup and dumped her coffee on the floor. "You better clean that up before you leave." She dropped the cup on the floor and hurried to catch up with her friends.

Just as they walked outside, Cinderella saw the bus drive by.


End file.
